Learning, Reading and other courses for credit for Greendale's night classes

This week:
When a lie becomes truth and all truth becomes lies. Pillow fort of gigantic proportions. Professor S. Professorson. Britta in a den in iniquity. Best chase scene ever.

Pluses:
Everything from the moment it started to the last second of the closing credits.
So many brilliant lines, infact there has been a lot of quoting going on today in twitter.
Said chase scene.
Toy guns.
Zing, double zing, triple zing, quadruple zing.
Seriously just everything this week was brilliant.

You know it was a killer episode when your twitter has this sort of ongoing conversation that is too long to screen grab.

Negatives:
Not a single thing comes to mind.

From brilliant lines, comebacks, to set pieces and the end credits, this episode is now up there with the bestest ever in Community. I can’t believe they managed to get Annie a gun, let alone say “Annie’s got a gun!” The bar has been reset on what can be done in a primetime sitcom, and we have finally seen the allocation of the mythical and mystical #fivepandas. In other news, Community is going to be up against Idol in the States – but I think we are safe, because only people with brains watch Community – so totally a different market to that of Idol.

This week:
We learn what a bottle episode is. Clothes come off. Slim Jims are in the most unusual places. Real feelings under the surface simmer up. Annie’s Boobs.

Pluses:
Excellent dynamic of the cast – was great to see the alliances change so fast.
Brutal comments in self defense.
Annie’s Boobs.
Puppies!
Puppies!
Puppies!
Troy putting two and two together.
Puppy Parade.
Did I mention there were puppies?

Minuses:
No Starburns.

This was a fantastic little episode, with some brilliant tie ins to previous episodes and each character was themselves, but amped up to 11. It was really fantastic to see what can be achieved with dialogue and good acting. Dan Harmon is my hero.

#fourandahalfpandas
SPOILER
Apparently you can see the moment that the pen goes astray (when the Dean comes in the first time) but I can’t catch it.

This week:
Abed becomes what can only be describe as RoboCop of girls’ self confidence. Troy and Jeff discover the Bounce. Pearce spoils everything. Nazism.

Pluses:
Loved the whole “Secret Garden” thing when Troy first encounters it.
Abed’s “assessment” program.
All girls really are bitches.
The return of the status quo was wonderfully done.
End gag with StarBurns.
Lots of awesome Chang moments.

Minuses:
I didn’t really get the whole bounce thing – it must be an analogy for something or a twist on another show which I didn’t get. Was it for smoking weed out the back of the classroom or something?
Pearce wasn’t even his endearingly annoying self and therefore Chase wasn’t given the opportunity to be funny.

This was a fun episode but the two plot lines didn’t really mesh for me – I loved the Abed one, but the Jeff and Troy one didn’t resonate or even make me laugh – other than the maze joke during a montage at the end. It is still a fantastic show, but the bar is so high now (I feel like I say this a lot) that anything less than a stellar ep leaves me unsatisfied and anticipating next week.

Pluses:
Alien (heck there was even a cat – and I so wanna see the outtakes of the cat wrangler trying to throw that cat!).
Last man standing.
The Dean’s playlist.
Believable (within the world of Community).
PokerFace.
StarBurns!
Chang!
Jeff cool – always.
Human Centipede.

Minuses:
Trying to think what I didn’t like…

Let’s be honest, the bar is so high for Community that even a great episode like this one pales in comparison to greats like Modern Warfare. That being said, there were a lot of very clever moments, and they got away with a lot! I wonder what the future will be for Shirley… Will Troy tell?

Pluses:
The ep goes for 21mins 1sec – all of that time!
End gag was great and a twist on the norm.
Chase finally gets the opportunity to actually be funny.
Awesome subplots.
Meta!
Almost every line was one you wanted to remember to repeat later.
Jesus rap!

Minuses:
Nada – I just wish it went longer.

So just how good was this week’s ep? ABED trended on Twitter. My stream alone had ABED lines and fandom and it is 95% Australian. The last couple of eps I have said – MORE ABED! This week I got it, and then some. I loved how this ep didn’t focus on Britta and Jeff. Great play on the cult of personality and Hollywood’s obsession with itself. Up there for three way tie now on my fav ep of Community. I know I keep saying it – but Community really is the best show on TV you aren’t watching.

Pluses:
Slo-Mo
Some great movie clichés, eg how the person meant to be on the mission has to stay behind and ends up helping the mission succeed.
Awesome end credit gag.
Arse flag.
Map gag – thumbs up!
Britta and Troy?

Minuses:
Not enough Abed.
Too much going on.
Pearce (Chase) not really given room to show talent.

Just writing my synopsis I was thinking – wow that sounds funny. It was, kinda, but again just too much going on for it really to gel. Even with a less than “stellar” episode of Community again, it is still the funniest thing on TV after The Vampire Diaries – only difference is Community is designed to be funny.

#twoandahalfpandas which is waaaaay better than #twoandahalfmen will ever be.

This week:
Casey and Sarah are dealing with spy action Intersectless. Chuck, BFF Morgan, are dealing with life post CIA and post BuyMore. They follow their own clues on a personal mission for Chuck (which seems to be the overall arc for this season?) and coincidently end up in the same place and time as Super Spies Sarah and Casey. Action. Giggles. Resolution.

Pluses:
Real Super Spies use public transport.
Great throwaway lines.
Hijinks.
The new and improved Buy More.

Minuses:
No Scott and Larry.
No Big Mike.
No Ellie.
No Awesome.

The esteemed author of White Noise (Crikey’s Televisual Blog) saw Chuck a few weeks back and didn’t think that Chuck still had it. I have to say on this case we strongly disagree (kind of how we disagree about Paul Newman’s Salad Dressing vs Pasta Sauce).
Chuck is back, with bells on. Certainly is he “out of the closet” well and truly, but not to everyone. He is now dealing with a whole new set of problems and a new “quest.” I am seriously looking forward to sitting down and catching up on the last few episodes. This ep was a perfect entree back into the world of the Intersect. I would tell you to watch it via Go! but they moved it to like 2am or something ridiculous. The little show that could, keeps on keeping on.

Minuses:
Just too many stories.
Lack of depth into Jeff’s own mortality.
Not enough Abed.

This wasn’t Community’s best episode ever (tie for Paintball and Halloween) as there was just SO much going on, but it delivered some classic moments that will certainly stay with me and any viewer for some time. Even though it wasn’t outstanding, it is still the best comedy around. I know I keep saying it but Community is really the best show you probably aren’t watching.
On a side note, I am thinking there must be a huge Abed centric episode coming up as he has been background for the previous two eps.